The new musical instrument: Your phone

CNN on the pocket-sized revolution in the music world: Smartphone apps and programs for handheld gaming consoles now let all kinds of people create and remix tunes on-the-go.

... There's been an absolute explosion in [music] production on mobile devices across all kinds of different platforms," said Peter Kirn, editor-in-chief of createdigitalmusic.com.

Professional musicians are taking smartphones on tour with them for their musical capabilities, too. A video of the band Gomez shows the group using an iPhone as an instrument. The Gregory Brothers, the band formed by the siblings who make the "Auto-Tune the News" video series, have used the I Am T-Pain application to add robot-style vocal effects to their live shows.

Click here for 10 cool videos of the iPhone as a music instrument.

MocoSpace to launch mobile music app

Fierce Mobile Content reports that Mobile social network MocoSpace will launch MocoSpace Music.

MocoSpace Music is a new application enabling consumers to discover new releases and featured acts, view artist photo slideshows and video interviews, search for nearby live shows and purchase ringtones.

Launching later this fall across multiple U.S. operators and optimized for both smartphones and feature phones, MocoSpace Music promises an extensive library of sample tracks, enabling users to share discoveries with friends--in addition to adding more than 400 new recording artists to the site each day, MocoSpace regularly hosts live video and phone interviews with hip-hop and rock artists from labels like Island Def Jam and Sony Music.

Read full article.

Rock Band iPhone app

TechCrunch reviews the much anticipated Rock Band iPhone app (not available though in the Swiss iTunes store).

The game features a multi-player mode (via Bluetooth), allowing up to 4 players to rock out on the go. While you can also play via single-player mode, you can use the integrated Facebook Connect to invite your friends to join in.

Rock Band for iPhone allows players to choose between vocals, drums, bass, or guitar. and features 20 tracks from a varied list of artists and musicians.

Read full review.

RjDj to Sell Whole Albums as Interactive Sound Experiences for iPhone

RjDj, the exceptionally cool “reactive sound platform” app from Reality Jockey, which turns the iPhone’s microphone into an audio synthesizer, just got even cooler: Now available in the App Store is “Kids on DSP,” an entire album featuring collaborations from two well-known techno artists — Carl Craig and Acid Pauli — converted for play in the RjDj app.

[via The New York Times]

T-Pain iPhone App: 300,000 Downloads in Three Weeks

It’s been a little less than a month since the sing along I Am T-Pain hit the app store. So how has it faired? Pretty good, it looks like. Smule has told Mashable that the app has been downloaded 300,000 times since its launch.

Related: Smule's I am T-Pain iPhone app let's you sing with auto-tune

Can Mobile Music Apps Pick Up Where Ringtone Sales Left Off?

Ringtone sales cratered last year—and by the looks of the latest stats from Nielsen RingScan, 2009 will bring more of the same. Sales are already down 23 percent, per Billboard. Meanwhile, handset makers and wireless providers offer full-track downloads through various content platforms, but mobile music sales are still minimal.

So now the industry is starting to focus on music apps like Pandora, Spotify and Rhapsody, in the hopes that they’ll evolve into sustainable sources of revenue across the board—for the carriers, the platform providers, and the record labels, too. And there are a few reasons why the mobile music app business might fare better than ringtones in the long run.

Read full article in MocoNews.

Rhapsody's iPhone App Hits iTunes

Rhapsody on iPhone from Rhapsody on Vimeo.

Apple on Thursday approved Real's music subscription service Rhapsody for the iPhone and iPod touch.

The announcement is news not just because Rhapsody is arguably the best subscription music out there, but also due to Apple's traditionally hard-lined approach toward services that "duplicate" functionality already available on the device--i.e., iTunes.

[via PC Magazine]

Gary Go tops charts with songs written on iPhone

Rising UK singer/songwriter Gary Go is known for creating most - and sometimes all - of his accompaniment on his Apple iPhone.

Go uses several iPhone apps not only when he composes songs but also in concerts, backing his electronic keyboards and, of course, his voice.

Check out Gary explaining his use of the iPhone and Twitter in his songwriting in Keyboard Magazine.

[via Stuff]

Smule's I am T-Pain iPhone app let's you sing with auto-tune

I am T-Pain by Smule (makers of the Ocarina app) lets you sing along with T-Pain songs using auto-tune technology. The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Like with a karaoke app., you just sing along to the words into the iPhone mic.

When you listen to the recorded track, you hear your voice all synthesized and modulated like T-Pain. Auto-tune is a technology that can both correct for errors in pitch but also change your voice, making it sound synthetic.

Vinyl DJ iPhone app

The Vinyl DJ app is the ultimative retro music record player for Vinyl friends. It plays your iPod music files - and it sounds like exciting Vinyl music again.

You can customize the vibe of Vinyl DJ by adjusting parameters like:

-Dust
-Crackle
-Scratch
-Mechanical noise
-Hum

Vinyl DJ will display song information as well as show the cover of the song.

iLike partners with Sony Music for iPhone app

Social music discovery service iLike announced the coming of the iLike Challenge App for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch, collaborating with Sony Music Entertainment to test how quickly fans can identify clips from hitmakers spanning pop, classic rock, country and hip-hop.

According to iLike, the $2.99 app will exclusively feature questions about Sony Music acts including Elvis Presley, the Clash, Britney Spears and John Mayer.

[via FierceMobile Content]

Wired U.S. Exclusive: Hands-On with the Spotify iPhone App

Spotify is set to take America by storm, and the streaming music service could soon do the same to the iPhone platform — but only if Apple approves Spotify’s iPhone app, which shows real potential to threaten iTunes on Apple’s own iPhone platform. Wired reports.

This slick app grants instant access to over six million on-demand tracks and your customized Spotify playlists, and it sounds great even on planes, subways, and other places where you can’t get a decent cell signal thanks to an offline playback feature.

Spotify is currently only available in Europe but the company plans to roll out in America by the end of the year.

“It’s going to be very interesting to see if Apple lets this through or sees us as competition — fingers crossed,” explained Spotify communications manager Jim Butcher. It certainly won’t help that unlike some other apps, Spotify’s does not include “buy” links to the iTunes music store. However, Apple would could take a percentage of Spotify’s iPhone-related revenue, and might not care what people use to listen to music, so long as they keep buying Apple hardware to play it on.

Read full article.

Gracenote debuts MusicID app for iPhone

Sony-owned content and data solutions provider Gracenote's Gravity Mobile unit announced the launch of its MusicID application for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch, promising a comprehensive music discovery guide enabling consumers to identify music, search lyrics and view artist biographies as well as purchase songs via iTunes.

Users can search MusicID by inputting the artist or track name, lyrics or holding their mobile device to a nearby audio source--from there, Gravity Mobile supplies recommendations and links directly into the iTunes catalog, also delivering related content and information including YouTube video clips.

[FierceMobile Content and Press Release]

Blackberry Storm gets a Shazam app

Shazam has launched its mobile music discovery application on the BlackBerry Storm. The app features full SurePress touchscreen support and is available to BlackBerry Storm users in the UK, US and Canada at The Blackberry App store.

[via Mobile Marketing Magazine]

U2 releasing 'mobile album' for BlackBerry

Soon, BlackBerry fans will be able to get in on the iPhone music app fun. Research In Motion, which is sponsoring the U2 360 tour, has posted a page on its Web site declaring the imminent arrival of the U2 "mobile album." News.com reports.

Although the video teaser is fairly cryptic, it looks like the app will let users listen to the latest U2 album "No Line on the Horizon," watch videos, and read news updates. A more interesting twist: it also looks like users will be able to share video clips from U2 concerts--a map will let you pick among BlackBerry-toting audience members with different stage angles.

U2 fans with BlackBerries can sign up here to be informed when the app's released.

Shazam Now Tweets, Maps Your Music Journeys

The Shazam app for iPhone - that listens to songs playing out loud, telling you its name and artist - has gotten an update and allows you to send electronic postcards to friends, as well as sending tagged songs to Twitter.

You can also view your tags on a map and see your musical journey unfold by location

[via Gizmodo]

Universal Music contracts Tapulous for iPhone games

Universal Music has contracted Tapulous to develop iPhone apps based on the label's most popular groups or artists, according to mocoNews via Macnn.

The game developer, known for such titles as Tap Tap Revenge, has already produced a number of apps featuring bands such as Dave Matthews, Coldplay, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Rise Against and Lady Gaga.

Tapulous CEO Bart Decrem claims the Universal negotiations involve roughly a half dozen new apps, including titles for Eminem and Black Eyed Peas.

Relateld: - Record labels eye mobile music games

Please Hold

Please Hold is an app with a sense of humour - It lets you play some of the most common on-hold music.

Next time when you are enjoying a conversation with your friend and have to put them on hold. Open up Please Hold and play on of the on-hold song to let them know that you are still there but not really.

400 Human Ringtones and Sound Affects

The 400 Human Ringtones and Sound Affects app offers 400 quality sounds - from expressions such as: "Here Ya go", "Huh", "Excellent", to sound effects such as "female Cackle" as well the inevitable and popular bodily sounds.

The customizable interface allows you to use it in your phone conversations, keep kids entertained, make your friends laugh, add effects to your business meetings, clearly communicate your pleasure/displeasure to others and irrate parents.

[Twitter/ZiPhoneApps via iPhone Download Blog]

Slacker Radio Releases Updated iPhone Application

Slacker has recently announced that an updated version of their iPhone app is now available for download. iPhoneFreak reports.

The app now features a larger image for the album art, a new player control bar, faster transitions from song to song, as well as an option to disable sleep mode and a folder for recently played stations. Additionally, Slacker Plus subscribers will also get lyrics.

Also, according to the press release, Slacker has seemingly taken aim at what appears to be Pandora claiming to have “a song library that is four times the size of the leading competitor.”

Ringtone Recorder Pro

Ringtone Recorder Pro lets you record anything and make your own iPhone ringtones for yourself or friends. Using the built-in iPhone microphone you can record up to 30 seconds of audio of anything.

How to:

1. Record your ringtone
2. Select Download It and specify your email address
3. Go to your computer and check your email. You will receive an email with an m4r attachment
4. Save the m4r attachment to your computer
5. Drag it into iTunes.
6. Sync your iPhone with iTunes.

Apple finally approved update of Nine Inch Nails app

Apple has finally approved an update to the official iPhone app for industrial-rock band Nine Inch Nails, after previously rejecting it due to objectionable content pertaining to the band's 1994 album "The Downward Spiral." No changes were made from the rejected version.

[via News.com]

Previously:

-- Apple rejects Nine Inch Nails iPhone app update

-- Nine Inch Nails launches iPhone app

The iPhone Is Accelerating Music Sales For Pandora

Pandora is a company that mainly makes its money through advertising deals on its streaming Internet radio service. But a growing portion of the business is also affiliate downloads of songs that users hear on Pandora and want to buy on either iTunes or Amazon's MP3 service. And the biggest mover accelerating growth in that regard are downloads taking place on the iPhone. TechCrunch reports.

Users are buying about a million songs a month now from these affiliate links on Pandora, CTO Tom Conrad tells me. Of those, a solid 20% are coming directly from Pandora's iPhone app, which includes an easy link to open the iPhone's iTunes app, and buy a track. That's really impressive considering that it's just one phone that a relatively small percentage of their users use.

Read full article.

Apple rejects Nine Inch Nails iPhone app update

For a man who has been responsible for some of the more industrial lyrics in music history, Nine Inch Nails' frontman, Trent Reznor, has taken rejection by Apple with a relatively sanguine spirit. Cnet reports.

On discovering that Apple has refused to approve NIN's latest iPhone app update, he tweeted: "Apple rejects the NIN iPhone update because it contains objectionable content. The objectionable content referenced is 'The Downward Spiral'."

Reznor then added in a follow-up tweet: "Not even sure where to start with that one."

Well, he might like to start with the fact that the very same content, with lyrics that suggest the author would like to have rather rough, bestial intercourse with his lover on the track "Closer", is still happily available for close scrutiny on iTunes. And, according to MG Siegler at TechCrunch, who is in possession of one, on the first version of the already approved NIN iPhone app.

TappyTunes

The TappyTunes app (initially launched in December and currently on sale) lets you play your favorite tunes instantly and note-perfect just by tapping.

In their own words: Hear your tune come to life in full chords immediately upon your first tap. Watch delightful animated graphics bounce and swirl right under your fingertips. No little piano keys to press. No note order to follow. Just tap away! TappyTunes is your own personal band, waiting to follow you. Never hit a wrong note. TappyTunes has all the notes and chords pre-loaded in sequence! Tap fast or slow to change the tune as you go. Give a command performance every time

[via MacWorld]

Mobile Roadie Builds Bands Custom iPhone Apps On The Cheap

The major record labels (and countless indie bands) looking to make an app should consider Mobile Roadie, a new application platform that allows bands to quickly deploy their own custom applications to the App Store. TechCrunch reports.

For a relatively small fee, bands can use Mobile Roadie’s mostly-automated system to build their apps and have them posted to Apple’s App Store in as little as a week.

The application supports a wide range of content, including photo galleries, streaming music (which can be linked to songs for purchase on iTunes), YouTube videos, a list of upcoming shows, and interactive features, like a ‘fan wall’ where users can post comments and photos in real time for all to see.

Read full review.

Nine Inch Nails launches iPhone app

Popular industrial band Nine Inch Nails has released a free application for the iPhone, allowing fans to interact with one another and receive streaming content. The album-as-an-app concept is definitely picking up, according to Ars Technica.

nin: access is a free iPhone application that brings a few cool features to the table for those looking to follow the band as closely as possible.

The application allows users to download NIN-inspired iPhone wallpapers, stream the band's music, listen to remixes by fans, watch videos from the "fan archive," use the NIN forums, and even chat with other fans nearby.

While the application is free, users do need to register on NIN official site in order to make use of it.

Diddy launches iPhone app to promote new album release

Music mogul and new-media king Sean “Diddy” Combs wants you to get onboard Last Train to Paris with a free iPhone app designed to build anticipation for the September 22 release of his new album.

Diddy’s new app will aggregate all of his various social-networking profiles and bring news directly to his fans via his integrated Twitter feed.

And, similar to Fall Out Boy’s and the Fray’s apps, “LTTP” allows fans to upload their favorite photos to a fan site through their iPhone. His twist on this now standard functionality is that instead of sharing concert photos of the artist, fans are asked to submit photos of themselves and their friends, particularly photos of their travels.

[via MTV Newsroom]

Tap Tap Coldplay

Tapulous has released Tap Tap Coldplay , (aka Tap Tap Revenge: Coldplay Edition), the latest in its series of Tap Tap rhythm games for the iPhone and iPod touch. iLounge reports.

Tap Tap Revenge: Coldplay Edition includes ten songs from the Grammy-winning English band, including “Yellow,” “Clocks,” and “Lost,” plus remixed versions of "Lovers in Japan" and "Viva la Vida".

Virtual Zippo Lighter app waved by concert goers

For years now, concert goers have waved their handsets in the air replacing the time-honored tradition of holding up lighters to call for an encore. But now, according to Adage - in an article on branded iPhone apps- fans are now holding up iPhones displaying the Virtual Zippo Lighter.

Y! Music app

The new Yahoo! LAUNCHcast Radio app, powered by CBS Radio, allows you to access your favorite Yahoo! and CBS Radio stations.

In their own words: Whether it’s Pop, Rock, Jazz, Classical, Oldies, Country, World, Latino, News, or Sports, Yahoo! LAUNCHcast Radio Powered by CBS Radio guarantees you’ll be able to connect directly with all your favorite music, news and information no matter where you are. Except of course outside of the US from where you can not download the app.

Mouth Off

Spotted on TrendHunter, demo videos of lip-synching app MouthOff which syncs an animated mouth in real time with the sound of your own voice. Fun!

In their own words:

Choose from 8 different mouths - Rude Boy, Robot, Synth, Grandma, Kiss-me-quick, Angry-Emperor, Dog or Monster. You wanna be a rude boy for the day? Then whip out the gold toothed look, or maybe you want to bring out your feminine side? So slap on some kiss-me-quick lips!

KanonDrum

My son showed me a new app he downloaded on his iPhone called KanonDrum. It's a drum kit simulation app.

You can play the drums with your fingers along with the music. Fabulous.

Live iPhone musical performance

The Mentalists play Kids by MGMT on their iPhones and iPod Touches, using only apps downloaded from the Apple App Store. Apps used Ocarina, Retro Synth, miniSynth, DigiDrummer Lite.

[via Trendhunter]

Major Label Acts Get Hip to Music Apps

Apple's app store is doing for music promotion what the company already did for music sales: making it portable, desirable and easy to access. [via Blogs Wired]

Forget about ringtones and Rhapsody; these apps let you subscribe to artists. Unlike the Presidents of the United States of America app launched last week, Kyte's iPhone apps for Universal Music Group artists don't give you full tracks, but they do keep fans updated with new information through exclusive videos -- mostly filmed on cellphone, of course -- a chat room, and a Twitter-style news feed.

Kyte Launches Turn-Key iPhone App Platform

Kyte has just launched its iPhone Apps Framework - a turn-key solution that allows Kyte partners to create applications that can include video, live chat, and monetization options with a minimal amount of development costs. The Washington Post/Tech Crunch reports.

Alongside the launch of the new platform, Kyte is announcing five artists from IGA records who have already released their iPhone applications, including the following free apps [all iTunes links]: The All American Rejects, Keri Hilson, Lady Gaga, The Pussycat Dolls, and Soulja Boy Tell 'Em.

Besides Twitter feeds, RSS, and chat, Kyte also offers a listing of each artist's most recent videos taken using Kyte.tv's mobile phone video apps. And, perhaps most importantly for the artists, each app features a list of links to songs in the music section of Apple's iTunes store.

Press release

Record Exec Says Music’s Future Is in the Clouds

In a speech to college musicians, Mr. McBride said smart-phone apps “will radically change the business.” From the WSJ.

Upcoming smart phones from companies like Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry, are likely to create new business models, he said. He was speaking in Boston in a lecture series on music management at Berklee College of Music, a 4,000-student college.

Mr. McBride is CEO of Vancouver-based Nettwerk Music Group, which manages Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies and Sarah MacLachlan, among other artists. He said he anticipates that many music lovers will start to access smart-phone apps like Slacker.com’s subscription-radio service.

If they can create their own playlist, he says, they are likely to stop buying downloads, since they know they will always be able to retrieve music they want to hear from the cloud, the computer industry term for content and applications stored remotely and accessed over the Internet. “There’s no need to own product,” he said.

How the Pandora iPhone App Redefined Net Radio

[via FORA.tv]

The Presidents of the USA introduces iPhone app

The Seattle rock band Presidents of the United States of America just released their very own iPhone application, PUSA.

The $2.99 app offers full-tracks from four albums as well as the "lost recordings" from the band's 10-song demo album FroggyStyle. Will we see more bands following suit with iPhone apps? You can count on it.

[via TechFlash]

Music too loud? An app to test your hearing

The Audiometry app is an effective hearing test that measures your threshold of hearing for sounds of different frequencies.

Find out just how far your ears can hear ranging frequencies. Most of the people should be able to hear up to around 15kHz. From around 17kHz upwards, we get into a range that only the under 20s can hear.

[via ZDNet]

Tune into iPhone radio apps

Streaming radio apps for the iPhone/iPod touch are exploding in 2009, writes TUAW.

With the growing proliferation of WiFi and 3G service, streaming radio apps really make the iPhone a dynamic music player.

Even if you don't use your iPhone or iPod touch primarily as a music storage device, the quality of the streams and the vast track selection makes it possible to get excellent tuneage anywhere.

Click here for a review of TUAW's favorite radio apps.

Annoy-A-Teen Developer Considers Charges Over Pirated iPhone App

The developer of the Anoy-a-Teen iPhone app, that uses high-frequency sound which most teens can hear but not anyone over 30, is considering criminal charges after the app was pirated.

The app is a take-off of the much written about Mosquitotone teenage repellent ringtone which made headlines in 2006.

[via Real Tech News]

Related: Apple App Store Problems

Slacker Radio iPhone app

iPhone and iPod touch users who want to listen to stream music through their mobile device. Slacker is the latest to throw its knit cap into the ring, introducing its Slacker Radio program to the App Store. MacWorld reports.

Slacker Radio gives iPhone and iPod touch users running the iPhone 2.2 software update access to Slacker’s entire music library. That allows users of the free app to listen to more than 100 stations programmed by experts and more than 10,000 stations dedicated to specific artists. Users can also create their own customized stations via the iPhone.

Among the other features included with Slacker Radio are artist biographies, album reviews, and peak-ahead song previews. Slacker touts its app as a great way to uncover new and undiscovered music.

iPhone Apps That Will Help The Music Business

This was not a good year for mobile music. Ringtones sales are declining, over-the-air downloads are still little more than a blip on the radar, and the potential of ambitious initiatives like Nokia's Comes With Music is still unknown. There's one shining exception though according to Billboard: Apple's iPhone.

The phone's potential may lie in Apple's App Store-a groundbreaking new system that lets software developers create and sell programs. Given the iPhone's heritage, it's only natural that some of the most interesting apps involve music, such as Pandora (Free), an online radio service and Tap Tap Revenge (Free), a guitar-hero like musical game.

Hit Music

Hit Music is an iPhone app for music fans.

You get: Top 50 Charts Single US, Top 50 Charts Album US and Top 50 Charts New releases US.

For each music, you can get a lot of videos about it. Watch the music video clip on your iPhone in one click.

Other new music apps: '90s Greatest 100 Songs of All Time and 100 Greatest Metal Songs of All Time.